"I've come to find out he's a little uneasy in certain situations," Manny's manager had offered earlier of his current project.

That was the entertainment portion of the program.

But if you are a Mets fan, none of it was the headline in Queens last night.

Here is your story:

Your team lost another game. This one by a score of 8-0. Second shutout in succession. The building was as quiet as a tomb by the sixth inning.

It was the fifth consecutive series-opening loss.

So, your problem isn't Manny.

Or Joe.

Or even the Dodgers.

It is the fact that your team hasn't scored a run in the last 22 innings, and has lost nine of its last 11. That Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado are still locked into the disabled list.

That the pitching's shaky, the hitting sparse, and the defense atrocious.

"A team funk," is how manager Jerry Manuel described the situation.

He was being gracious.

"We have to find a way to play better with what we have," he proclaimed.

Not likely, is the only response that fits that request.

The Mets currently trail the NL East-leading Phillies by 4½ games. They fell into fourth place last night, behind the Marlins and Braves.

With five games left before the All-Star break, this is no longer about the Mets keeping up with the Phillies. The question is quickly becoming just how far can they afford to fall behind the reigning World Champions?

And how far can they sink before the break hurries along to offer a few days to regroup?

You have to think the Mets have a big post-break run in them once Reyes and Beltran and starting pitcher John Maine return.

Maybe they'll cobble something together during the 10-game road swing that follows the All-Star game. Maybe in the 11 straight games they play at home in mid-August against the Giants, Braves and Phillies.

But what happens in the short run could be critical.

"We have to hold on until the guys get back," Manuel was saying without much conviction last night.

And that concern trumps anything that Manny or Joe can bring to the table.